Owing to intelligence reports that more than a dozen terrorist launch sites have reactivated across the Line of Control (LoC) in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir are on maximum vigilance, news agency ANI reported.
Nearly 200 terrorists are reportedly waiting on these launch sites in PoK to enter Jammu and Kashmir, according to intelligence reports cited by a high government official.
According to the person with knowledge of the development, Border Security Force (BSF) and Army patrols has increased along the LoC in response to threat assessments in order to thwart any infiltration attempts.
The officer said that the terrorists are trained to enter Jammu and Kashmir through “tunnel and riverine” locations and have ties to the LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammad, and Hizbul Mujahideen.
“As most of the routes adopted by the terrorists are exposed, they are planning to infiltrate through a tunnel and riverine areas,” the official was quoted by ANI in its report.
According to another official, the terrorists are currently attempting to use the Rajouri-Poonch roads in the Pir Panjal region’s south.
“The focus of infiltration has largely now shifted to the south of Pir Panjal,” the official said.
“The infiltration in Kashmir valley has reduced compared to other routes,” the official added.
The Amarnath Yatra, a 43-day Hindu pilgrimage that lasts for two weeks, began on June 30 after a two-year hiatus, and thousands of pilgrims are already visiting the Union Territory. As a result, information on these launch sites across the LoC is significant.
As most of their attempts have been thwarted and the terrorists have been killed in several operations, the official said that there have only been a few cases of successful infiltration along the LoC in the valley so far this year.
According to statistics, the official stated that 121 terrorists had been slain as of June 28 of this year, with the majority of those murdered being Over Ground Workers associated with the LeT (68), the JeM (29) and the HM (16), while the number of international terrorists was essentially nonexistent.